Starfield's woeful zero-gravity puzzles can now be modded out on PC

An astronaut walks towards a glowing temple in Starfield
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Starfield's monotonous zero-gravity room puzzles are no more - at least on PC - thanks to a modder removing them from the game.

A few hours into Starfield's main questline, you'll be introduced to a series of temples - scattered throughout the explorable galaxy - that'll grant you special powers and rewards upon completing them. It's these powers that can genuinely transform Starfield's combat, and it's always fun to see what each holds within.

Problem is, completing the temples requires players to undergo a pointless zero-gravity segment where they fly between glowing rings. And it's the same layout every time; no extra obstacles to add challenge, just the same series of rings across the game's 24 temples.

Now, one modder - johndoebowler - has had enough, and has uploaded the No More Temple Puzzles mod to Starfield's NexusMods page. So, how does it work? "Seamlessly complete temple puzzles upon entering the temple," the mod's description reads. "No other action is necessary; you don't have to collect any orbs. Just step into the ring!"

Now, if you think this is cheating or playing the game in a way that wasn't intended, just think back to Skyrim. In that game, players can absorb Words of Power from walls found throughout the world, and you just had to stand in front of it to obtain the Word. Yes, you'd usually have to complete a dungeon beforehand, but that's at least more interesting than flying through rings, Superman 64 style.

This is far from the first must-have mod players have created for Starfield, either. There's mods for a more realistic jog speed, one that re-enables achievements after installing mods, and of course, there are already plenty of Thomas the Tank Engine-themed mods, which no Bethesda game is complete without.

Starfield is available to download and play via Xbox Game Pass. For more reasons to subscribe, check out our guide to the best Xbox Game Pass games to learn about all the titles you can play at the price of a monthly subscription.

Rhys Wood
Hardware Editor

Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.